"Greetings, fellow Spirit Master. I am Qian Zhiya." The old woman said, her words naturally directed at Hong Zhen, as Hong Zhen, with his Spirit King cultivation, appeared to be the leader of their group.
"Hello, esteemed elder. I am Hong Zhen, City Lord of Anyang City and a Viscount of the Empire." As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling person. Since the other party had taken the initiative to show goodwill, Hong Zhen would not intentionally cause trouble and replied politely.
His answer was interesting, both stating his identity and containing a hint of a warning.
Sure enough, after Qian Zhiya heard Hong Zhen's self-introduction, a trace of surprise and caution flashed in her cloudy old eyes, then she smiled and said, "So it's City Lord Hong. I have heard much about you."
This made Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan feel a bit amused. Hong Zhen, a Spirit King, where would he get such a reputation? This was the so-called rule of the Spirit Master's world.
"You flatter me, esteemed elder." Hong Zhen, of course, was well-versed in this custom. He first showed humility, then asked, "May I ask, esteemed elder, if you are also interested in this group of Spirit Beasts?"
"That's right." Seeing Hong Zhen get straight to the point, Qian Zhiya no longer stood on ceremony and admitted without hesitation, "My granddaughter recently broke through to the Spirit Elder realm, and that three-thousand-year Saber-toothed Light Wolf is perfect for her."
As Qian Zhiya spoke, she didn't forget to proudly glance at the young girl beside her. It was clear that the old woman was very confident in her granddaughter. To want her to absorb a three-thousand-year spirit ring for her third spirit ring was something an ordinary Spirit Master would certainly not dare to do.
The young girl, who had been singled out by her grandmother, was currently staring at Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan. She found that these two young people, who were similar in age to her, gave her an unfathomable feeling. Could their strength be above hers? Impossible, right?
The four of them, including Zhu Ziyang, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Qian Zhiya's words. It seemed there was no need for a fight to resolve the dispute. Their target Spirit Beasts were different, and they might even be able to team up.
"Haha, we are here to find a fourth spirit ring for my brother, and we've set our sights on that Spiky Armored Porcupine," Hong Zhen said, patting Zhu Changhe and explaining with a smile.
Zhu Changhe, in turn, politely bowed and greeted Qian Zhiya.
"What a coincidence!" Qian Zhiya let out a long sigh of relief when she heard that the other party was interested in the four-thousand-year Spiky Armored Porcupine.
If Zhu Ziyang's group merely hoped to avoid conflict with them, then she was very much hoping to avoid conflict with them. After all, the other party had strength in numbers, and avoiding unnecessary complications would naturally be for the best.
She smiled and said, "How about we team up and deal with those beasts together?"
"Couldn't ask for more!" Since the other party took the initiative to show goodwill, Hong Zhen naturally couldn't ask for more and immediately agreed.
"Then, how about you and I make our move now?" Qian Zhiya asked.
"That suits me perfectly!" Hong Zhen nodded in agreement.
So, the two of them simultaneously made their move, entering the battlefield of the Saber-toothed Light Wolf and the Spiky Armored Porcupine.
Zhu Ziyang and the other two did not act rashly but observed their battle.
Hong Zhen's Spirit was the Ice Plains Elephant, which Zhu Ziyang had already seen, so there was nothing much to say about it. However, the Spirit of the old woman named Qian Zhiya piqued Zhu Ziyang's curiosity. He saw five spirit rings, two yellow, two purple, and one black, rise behind the old woman. This configuration was much stronger than Hong Zhen's three yellow and two purple. A pair of pure white wings grew on the old woman's back, and a rich aura of light emanated from her body.
"What kind of Spirit is this?" Zhu Ziyang murmured.
And Qian Zhiya's granddaughter, the golden-haired beautiful young girl, also stood quietly to the side, her eyes filled with a hint of vigilance and curiosity, secretly observing Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan. Upon hearing Zhu Ziyang's murmur, the corner of her mouth involuntarily curved upwards, revealing a proud and triumphant smile.
"What's your name?" Zhu Ziyang suddenly looked at her and asked, startling the young girl, who trembled slightly.
"Why should I tell you?!" The young girl, startled, said with some annoyance, "Shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking for a young lady's name?"
"My name is Zhu Ziyang. What's your name?" Zhu Ziyang said.
"Hmph! My name is Qian Lingyi." Qian Lingyi snorted arrogantly, her chin held high like a proud peacock, revealing her smooth, fair neck.
"Your surname is Qian?" Zhu Ziyang's expression changed. A possibility quickly flashed through his mind, so he tentatively asked, "Is your Spirit an Angel?"
"How did you know?!" Qian Lingyi's eyes widened upon hearing this. She looked at Zhu Ziyang in disbelief and asked, "Do you know anyone else who possesses an Angel Spirit?"
The young girl's words immediately exposed the fact that her Spirit was an Angel. Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but smile and said lightly, "No, you and your grandmother are the only two Angel Spirit Masters I've ever seen."
"How could that be? If you don't know any Angel Spirit Masters, how would you recognize an Angel Spirit?" Qian Lingyi didn't believe Zhu Ziyang at all. Her tone was filled with shock and doubt as she stared with wide eyes and asked.
"Is it that hard?" Zhu Ziyang waved his hand and said.
Of course, it was difficult. The Angel Spirit was definitely one of the rarest Spirits on the Continent. Its possessors were extremely rare, and few people had even heard of this Spirit, let alone recognized it.
The reason Zhu Ziyang could recognize it was half guesswork and half deduction.
Because there once existed a very powerful Angel Spirit family on the Continent, the Supreme Pontiff family of Spirit Hall. All members of this family were Angel Spirit possessors. The Angel Spirit was an undisputed top-tier Spirit, a collective concept that encompassed various types of angels, such as the most common Light Angel, as well as Flame Angels, Ice Angels, Lightning Angels, and even the legendary divine-bestowed Spirit, the Six-Winged Angel. Qian Renxue, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago, was a Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul possessor.
However, with the demise of Spirit Hall, the Supreme Pontiff family was almost completely wiped out, and the Angel Spirit subsequently became extinct on the Continent.
This pair of grandmother and granddaughter not only shared the same surname as the former Supreme Pontiff family, but their Spirit's manifestation was also almost identical to the Angel Spirit described in books. Therefore, Zhu Ziyang, with some conjecture, concluded that their Spirit was an Angel. It was possible they were descendants of the former Supreme Pontiff family.
"Hmph!" Qian Lingyi's face hardened, and she snorted coldly, saying, "So what if you guessed it? How boring!"
"Hehe!" Zhu Ziyang didn't take it to heart. Although the Angel Spirit was rare, it was just that to him, not worth excessive attention. He just smiled, then no longer paid attention to Qian Lingyi.
Qian Lingyi felt bored when she realized Zhu Ziyang was no longer looking at her, so she distanced herself from them and focused her gaze on the battle in the river valley.
"Brother, is the Angel Spirit very special?" Jiang Nannan asked curiously, leaning close to Zhu Ziyang.
"Of course, it's special!" Zhu Ziyang explained the story to the young girl, saying, "You know about Spirit Hall, right?"
"Mm-hmm, it was the ruler of the Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago, right?" The young girl thought for a second or two, then replied, "The teacher mentioned it in history class."
"That's right. This Angel Spirit is the inherited Spirit of the Supreme Pontiff family of Spirit Hall," Zhu Ziyang said. "Almost all of Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiffs throughout history possessed the Angel Spirit. During the Spirit Hall era, the Angel Spirit was undoubtedly the number one Spirit on the Continent."
"Then doesn't that mean these two are descendants of the Supreme Pontiff family?" Jiang Nannan said with a surprised expression.
"It's not impossible." Zhu Ziyang nodded and said, "Speaking of which, our Academy and this Angel family are still sworn enemies!"
"Ah?!" Jiang Nannan's eyes widened, as she truly didn't know this part of history, even though she was a student of Shrek Academy.
In fact, how many people at the current Shrek Academy still cared about the grievances from ten thousand years ago? Except for a very few stubborn and rigid individuals, everyone else only regarded the grievances between the Sea God and Spirit Hall as just a story.
"Ten thousand years ago, Spirit Hall was overthrown by the Original Shrek Seven Devils leading the two great Empires," Zhu Ziyang explained.
"Why?" Jiang Nannan asked in confusion.
"For faith!" The answer came from Qian Lingyi, who had approached at some point. Her pretty face was filled with resentment as she said, "The Sea God coveted the Angel God's faith and ambushed the Angel God to defeat him!"
"For faith?" Zhu Ziyang heard this explanation for the first time and couldn't help but feel curious, asking, "Can you elaborate?"
"Hmph! You're from Shrek Academy, why should I tell you?" Qian Lingyi snorted coldly, directly refusing Zhu Ziyang's request.
"Alright, if you don't want to, then forget it." Zhu Ziyang was a little disappointed but had no intention of forcing Qian Lingyi.
"Sister, I'm afraid you yourself don't know the truth behind this, do you?" Jiang Nannan, seeing Zhu Ziyang being rebuffed, was displeased and immediately said.
"How could that be?" Qian Lingyi immediately retorted upon hearing this, but beneath her firm tone, her eyes flickered with a hint of guilt.
Zhu Ziyang immediately understood that this young girl truly didn't know.